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All these are powerful arguments. But the Conservative part of the Government seems to have lost its verve and its will to live.

Labour is reviving. The Prime Minister needs to show more energy. Tory activists and voters feel he has made too many concessions to the Liberal Democrats.

Now is the moment for some genuine conservative boldness, while there is still time to claw back lost support. By next autumn the looming closeness of the May 2015 Election will greatly narrow Mr Cameron’s room for manoeuvre.

BBC’s silent shame

BBC shame: Jimmy Savile

Just how cowardly has the BBC been in seeking to establish and broadcast the truth about the late Sir Jimmy Savile?

There is no question the Corporation behaved badly by cancelling a Newsnight programme about his alleged child abuse.

What we do not know is just how high this decision went, or on what grounds it was taken.

The fact that director-general George Entwistle was aware of the investigation before the programme was dropped had to be dragged out of Broadcasting House.

This is yet another example of the problems caused by the sad fact that in such matters, the BBC is judge and jury in its own cause.

But there is one internal voice that has not yet been heard.

The BBC chairman, Lord Patten, has the authority and the standing to demand candour from Mr Entwistle. He should do so, soon.

Jam and injustice

It is usually a sign you are living in a despotism when you can never be sure which side of the law you are on. Arbitrary power and corruption flourish when petty officials can persecute you on a whim.

Continental Europeans have long known all about this. Now, thanks to the introduction of EU regulations in this country, we too are being enveloped in a fog of legal uncertainty.

How incredible it is that kind-hearted, honest people, making jam for a good cause, should be warned their harmless activities may breach the food laws.

This is not a joke or a myth. Asked for reassurance, the Food Standards Agency offered none, saying: ‘Only the courts can decide whether in particular circumstances an offence has been committed.’

The difference between our legal traditions and those of the EU is the greatest single cause of friction between Britain and Brussels. If we cannot find some way of resolving it, bitterness against the European experiment will grow.